Puzzle.



No. 809,898. I PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906. J. BIGHAM.

PUZZLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29. 1905.

. WITNESSES.- (Z' d d 4 Allow/1e) I UITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

PUZZLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1906.

Application filed April 29,1905. Serial No, 258,012.

To a, whom it may concern:

-Be it known that I, JOHN BIGHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Puzzle, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relatesto puzzles of the variety known as rolling-ball puzzles, the ob- I shall now describe my invention so that others skilled in the art may manufacture and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which like symbols of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of the puzzle. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the cover removed. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are vertical sections on the lines III III, IV IV, and V V, respectively, of Fig. 2. Figs. 6 and 7 are vertical sections on the lines VI VI and VII VII, respectively, of Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the channel.

In the drawings, A is the base-piece, which is constructed of any suitable material, such as wood, metal, glass, papier-mach, &c. Within the base-piece a winding way or channel B is formed of substantially uniform width throughout, having its origin at the point X, running in the direction shown by the arrows, and ending at the point Z, these two termini being indicated, respectively, by appropriate marks on the base-piece, such as the word Begin at X and the word Enc at 71- The channel B may either be made of metal, cardboard, or any suitable material and fastened within or upon the base-piece A, or it may be hollowed out of the base-piece or formed within it in any desired and practicable way. This channel is substantially of the form shown in the drawings, and though of uniform width throughout, with smooth vertical sides and a bottom preferably fiat, the roadway varies in depth, the four shaded places in the drawings (marked 1") being somewhat deeper than the roadway proper and gradually merging into the same. At each of the places r the bottom of the channel is corrugated by slight zigzag or transverse gutters to impede the regress or regress of the balls. The channeFB, whose depth is never at any point less than the diameter of any of the balls nor great enough to permit any of the balls to pass by or over any others except as specified below, directs the movements of the balls 1 2 3, compelling them to run within it from the beginning to the end of the channel backward and forward, as desired.

The novel features of the channel, in addition to its peculiar shape, its uniform width, and its varying depth, are the four chasms or gaps a I) c d, cut across and into its bottom, which chasms are of the same width as the channel and are partial but not complete obstructions to the motion of the balls in either direction. Each one of these chasms differs from all the others in form and in purpose.

The chasm a, Fig. .5, allows an equally easy forward and backward movement of the balls, its two sides a a being of the same length and slope. The form of the chasm c, Fig. 6, allows a free forward motion of the balls, but retards their retrograde movement appreciably, although not entirely, due to the varying slope of the two sides of this chasm, the side 0 being steeper and shorter than the side 0 The chasm (Z, Fig. l, is the reverse of the chasm c and allows an unhindered backward movement of the balls, but impedes their forward progress noticeably, though not completely, its steeper side (1 affording a check to the advance of the balls, while the slighter slope of the side dpermits the balls to make an easy retrograde movement. In depth'each of the three chasms a c d is too shallow to check the motion of any or of all of the balls entirely or to allow any of the balls to pass over or alongside of any other ball; but the chasm b is of a peculiar shape, as shown in Figs. 3 and 9. This chasm Z) is deeper than any of the other three chasms a e (Z, and its side I) is practically perpendicular to the bottom of the channel, while its side b has substantially the slope shown in said figures, the depth of the chasm at its lowest point being preferably approximately equal to the radius of any of the balls in or der to more decidedly check their retrograde movement without fully stopping it and also not blocking their advancing motion to any noteworthy extent, for the ordinary momentum of any of the balls is sufficient to carry it across this gap 1) in advancing, whereas a special manipulation of the puzzle is needed to get it past it in retreating. Hence this gap 1) is the key to the puzzle, for by more thoroughly checking the retreat of the balls it permits a special manipulation of them, which special manipulation solves the puzzle, as. is explained hereinafter.

The series of objects 1 2 3, intended to be rolled or otherwise moved along the channel B without being removed therefrom or touched by the manipulator in any way en route, may be made of any suitable material and of any fitting shape adapted to the purpose. In practice I prefer balls of any desired number more than one, uniform in size, of a diameter slightly less than the width and depth of the channel, so as to permit their easily moving therein, and each distinguished from all the others by some appropriate marking or coloring. These balls are to be rolled from X to Z or from Z to X along the channel B solely by the manipulation of the puzzle and never by being touched or pushed in any manner by the operator; nor are they either singly or collectively to be removed out of the channel during the working of the puzzle, and they are to start in a certain fixed order in single file at the point X, pass along the channel forward and backward ad Zt bt tum, and end at the point Z, the requirement of the puzzle being that the balls must arrive at the point Z in an order of sequence diiferent from that in which they started from X.

The cover or lid D may be secured to the base A by being slid into grooves in the latter, or it may be secured thereto in any other desired manner. It forms a cover for the sunken channel B, except at or near the points X and Z, which are left uncovered to permit the arrangement and removal of the balls.

In operating-the puzzle the balls are arranged in the channel B at the point X in single file in definite ordersuch as 1 first, 2 second, and 3 third. The puzzle is taken into the operators hands, and by proper manipulation of it without touching the balls they can be rolled along the channel to the point Z, the requirement being, as before stated, that they must arrive at Z in an order different from that in which they started from X. Since the balls are confined in the channel by the cover D and are substantially of the same diameter as the width of the channel, none of them can pass by any others of the series by means of any lateral motion. They can change their relative positions in the series solely by a hurdling movement, and since the channel proper is nowhere deep enough to permit such a move ment this hurdling is possible only by means of the gap .1) of the series of chasms a, 7) c d, which is deep enough to permit any one of the balls to be rolled, jumped, or hurdled over any other, so as to change their relative order. To illustrate: Start the balls at X in the order 1 2 3 and roll them forward along the channel. None of the places 1" is deep enough to allow a ball to pass over another. It is also evident that no such movement is possible at the chasm a, since it is not deep enough, and both of its sides are too gently sloped to retard a front ball so that a rear one may leap over it, or vice versa. At the chasm b the advance of the balls is not necessarily stop ed, the side 6 of this chasm having too sma 1 an angle to check their motion enough to allow a following ball to pass over its predecessor. The chasm c is too shallow to make the hurdling movement possible; nor does its construction impede the motion of the balls in advancing. In the last chasm d the steep side d will check any one of the balls but only slightly nor is this chasm deep enough-to allow any overleaping of one ball by another. Throughout the advance movement of the balls it is impossible for them to change their relative positions in the series.

In their retrograde movement they will readily pass along the route, since the chasm (2 will not stop their retreat at all and the chasm 0 will check it only slightly. It is only when they have retreated to the chasm b that their movement can be checked sufiiciently and the special manipulation of the puzzle be made, by which operation certain of the balls may be caused to pass over certain others, as shown in Fig. 8. The three balls are still in the order in which they originally started from the point Xnamely, 1 2 3 the ball 3 being now in the gap 1) and held therein by the steep side I). The ball 2 may now be rolled up over and past the ball 3 in the manner indicated in the drawings. Then the ball 1 may likewise be rolled over the ball 3. The ball 3 may now easily be rolled forward out of the gap 1), and then the other two balls can follow without hindrance, so that they arrive at Z in the order 3 1 2. Similarly any other final order of the balls may be secured as demanded by the requirements of the puzzle.

I claim 1. A puzzle having a channel, in combination with two or more movable objects adapted to traverse the same, said channel having a chasm in its bottom in which one of said objects may lodge so as to enable the other object or objects to pass over it, said channel being of sufiicient depth at such point to retain said object or objects therein during such passage.

2. A puzzle having a circuitous covered channel, in combination with two'or more movable objects adapted to traverse the same, said channel being of a width and of a depth less than that of two of said objects and having a chasm in its bottom in which one of said objects may lodge so as to enable the other object or objects to pass over it.

3. In a puzzle, a base-piece provided With a circuitous channel, a cover for said channel, two or more balls distinguishable from each other adapted to traverse thechannel, said channel being of a width and of a depth less than the diameter of two balls, and having a chasm in which one of said balls may lodge so as to enable the other ball or balls to pass over it.

4. A puzzle having a circuitous channel provided with corrugated portions and a series of chasms in its bottom.

5. A puzzle having a circuitous covered JOHN BIGHAM.

Witnesses:

G. V. HOFFMAN, J. T. RoBiNsoN. 

